FAU-G vs. PUBG is the Indian most significant sentiment now. The whole country is currently anticipating the arrival of the game back into the Google play store and the app store, and now, with news of FAU-G (1) into the market, comparing the two games is on. The FAU-G app was announced in November as a part of the Navarathri celebrations. PUBG has been still covering its trail with new teasers and much more anticipatory stuff that excites the whole gaming community. Ever since the ban, gamers have taken to social media to stretch their voice and scream out to launch the loved game back into their phones.
The sentimental value of PUBG has been a topic in today’s gaming community. Live streams that covered the game have been dead for a while, and professional gamers look to different resorts to engage with their subscribers who are hungry for content. Regular players who played the game in their leisure have chosen shooter games like Call of Duty (2), Valorant (3), and much more to take the day off and enjoy. That’s how strong the community has been at the loss of PUBG, which many enjoyed playing and valued the community growth spurt. The game’s launch is still a mystery that many are anticipating.
While on the other hand, FAU-G has been the game that is now taking over social media. The game has been rounded off to be about the battle of Indian soldiers across borders and to show their bravery. The rise of nationalistic apps and games have been a topic as well. Recently, the launch of the Indian version of Twitter called ‘Tooter’ was trending on Twitter ironically. Similarly, the rise of the game FAU-G is now facing a backlash and calling it a ‘plagiarized version’ of PUBG. The game has been proposed and is scheduled to launch in December or by New year’s eve.
FAU-G: What’s it about?
FAU-G or Fearless and United Guards is an upcoming online multiplayer action game created by nCore. The game recorded the highest number of pre-registrations at the India Play Store in less than 24 hours. The game was first announced two days after it was banned in India by PUBG Mobile. FAU-G feels the pressure now that PUBG Mobile is gearing up to make a comeback and has buckled up for the launch. India banned days after one of India’s most popular smartphone games, PUBG Mobile, Goquii CEO Vishal Gondal (4) announced an alternate game called FAU-G. While only a few details are known about the game, it is expected that the game will be a shooter game for the first person and maybe similar to PUBG. In association with the Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, the mentor, he announced the game (5).
The game promoted the AtmaNirbhar movement (6) of PM Narendra Modi, creating an action game, Fearless, And United-Guards or solely called FAU-G. In addition to entertainment, players will also learn about our soldiers’ sacrifices. Akshay Kumar tweeted that 20 percent of the net revenue generated will be donated to the Bharat ke veer Trust. The game’s official launch date has not yet been revealed. The game is expected to launch on Android and iOS and free to play with in-app purchases similar to other games. The developer, nCORE Games (7), claims to be a Rovio partner, but nothing much is known about games made by them. Several Indian game makers have used the PUBG Mobile ban as a potential to introduce alternatives to the game. When the short video platform was banned in the country, it was similar to TikTok. Some apps have replaced TikTok in the country, like Chingari, Mitron, Roposo, Moj, and many more.
The PUBG ban: How has it influenced the gaming community?
While the app may well have been banned in India based on national security and digital theft, it should be noted that India owns approximately 25 percent of the world’s PUBG players. India has nearly 50 million active PUBG players, and the app has been downloaded over 175 million times during the summer. Due to its addictive nature and influence on the mental state, the top-rated battle royale game has also been in the news. The online multiplayer game follows a pattern of multiple players in a random place collecting automatic guns and killing the 99 other players to win the match (8). It’s a simple approach, a winner-take-all, kill-or-be-killed battle royale. In different age groups in India, this simple and easily accessible nature of the game has given rise to PUBG addiction. In fact, through direct or indirect PUBG game involvement, there have been several disturbing reports of injuries, suicides, and murders.
PUBG’s rising popularity has also prepared the path for several mobile professional game competitions, which have given rise to India’s professional videogame industry. While professional gamers will now have to consider switching to another battle royale game, in light of the PUBG ban, it is of paramount importance to gently guide and pay attention to usual gamers’ mental state. The sudden prohibition of online gaming can lead to a drastic change in the behavior and mood of gaming addicts. They might suffer from depression, irritation, and even aggressive behavior (9), and in various areas of their lives, they may experience functional impairment. The day began and ended on their PCs and smartphones for many people, spending more than ten hours a day playing Battle Royale. Parents, guardians, and other family members need to monitor this abrupt shift in their routine cautiously. They should also note if the gamer exhibits any tell-tale signs of gaming disorder.
The PUBG relaunch: Yay or Nay?
The launch of PUBG Mobile India is described as being the most anticipated in the Indian gaming industry. PUBG Mobile was banned for months (10) in India’s aftermath, and China’s tensions are now planning to come back in grand style to the Indian market. PUBG Mobile is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to having a successful relaunch in India to remove the Chinese organization Tencent and with enhanced security features and user data security. However, PUBG Corporation has not yet released an official statement, despite the release of teasers and announcements of the game being launched shortly. Briefly, for Android users, there was an APK version for downloading PUBG Mobile India that did not work. There are many reports on the relaunch of PUBG Mobile, but nothing has come from the PUBG Corporation yet.
On the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, PUBG India recently became a registered company. However, that won’t be considered a significant breakthrough in the relaunch of the game. No banned entity can operate only by floating a new business. This can even be done by Tik Tok or anyone else. They will have to obtain permits from MEITY to work in India again (11). However, India’s current dynamics suggest that a PAN or a GST number is required for any person or business to work legally in India. PUBG Mobile does not have either, and they can not begin working or engage in a comeback without that.
FAU-G vs. PUBG
Its been a long two months for both the companies; both are in anticipation, both are fighting for the market, both are now facing the heat of consumers as they are now losing patience waiting for either of the games. What could be the difference between the two games in pursuit of the more significant chunk? PUBG, though, has had a staggering fanbase even since the ban in India. Put rest too much of the ban’s discussions; the game has revolutionized the movement even today! Many professional gamers, MorTal, Dynamo gaming, and much more have known the day-to-day updates on the game and discuss their fellow community’s situation. The problem is that the government fails to identify the community’s potential and how much it values the economic scale and employment scale.
On the other hand, FAU-G (13) is like a newlywed coming into India may welcome the game, but some may still hold a grudge of the previous one. This is a widespread habit that has been going on in the country. Many replacement apps have entered the market, as well. When Camscanner was banned, Microsoft’s Lens had a million-plus download on the play store. CamScanner made its changes and relaunched into the community. ShareIT, too, was forbidden by FilesGo to replace that as well. So, there is no say as to how India would continue its take on the ban of Chinese apps, but the bruise over the ban of PUBG hurt the world’s biggest community.
FAU-G, whose entry into India is imminent by Christmas, has been now introducing pre-registration at the Google Play store. The pre-registration gives the downloader early access into the game, or also known as the beta feature. The downloader also doesn’t have to bother about searching for the game and can experience the download immediately if already pre-registered. The game’s apk files are still not active on the Play Store and app store, but the link or pre-registration is active. The game also broke records before it had even been launched! The game has crossed one Million pre-registrations (14), the largest for any anticipated game in India. This means that everyone is awestruck at the arrival, and only time will tell about the launch of the game.
The Google Play summary of the game gives a variety of information. The game is based on various Indian War history events, from the Kargil war clash to the Galwan valley. A battle of India’s bravest soldiers who shed their blood for the safety of the country. The game salutes their hard work and dedication. The content rating for the game stands at 16+, which requires parental guidance (15). The game’s in-game permission involves using the storage, which stores the OBB files of the game. Photos, Media, and files for the game’s functionality and detection of strong network connection (16). It looks like FAUG now points away from being a reality. The game has an official Google play page, ratings have been provided to the game, which means that certification has been provided and that the app is close to uploading. Now, only the game has to be uploaded and available to all by mid-December or by Christmas. TimesNext feels that the date for the launch of the game might be on Martyr’s Day on January 30th.
Is PUBG’s future bleak in India?
Well, not at the moment. Even though the government is against the launch of Chinese apps or games into India, PUBG has already taken the necessary measures to engage back into India. The PUBG Corporation recently broke ties with Tencent Holdings, a Game investment corporation based off in China., the game had then introduced job posts in India for Krafton Holding and a game executive to develop an Indian version of the game. For data security, PUBG holds contracts with Microsoft Azure to safeguard user data through cloud computing. This gave PUBG only 35 percent confirmation of entry back into India but, the major hurdle that they face to face is MEITY and the formation of GST code that will give a significant boost to their launch. Thus, it’s not easy to expect the launch of the game shortly. At least, after the COVID-19 pandemic, when all systems become fully operational, the game can file easily and fulfill all paperwork quickly.
